Control method, device and computer readable storage medium of multi-split air conditioner

Abstract

The present invention discloses a control method for a multi-split air conditioner, comprising the following steps: upon receiving a self-cleaning instruction, obtaining refrigerant information of the multi-split air conditioner; and executing a self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner according to a self-cleaning mode corresponding to the refrigerant information. The present invention also discloses a control device and a readable storage medium for the multi-split air conditioner. By flexibly selecting a corresponding self-cleaning mode for self-cleaning according to the refrigerant information, the cleaning effect of the multi-split air conditioner can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of air conditioning, and in particular to a control method and device for a multi-split air conditioner and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] At present, the self-cleaning method of multi-split air conditioners is mostly to first control the air conditioner to run the cooling mode, so that condensed water or frost is generated on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger to clean the dirt, and then run the heating mode to make the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger reach above 56°C and last for a long time to sterilize the heat exchanger surface. This method has been widely used because of its advantages such as easy implementation and low cost.

[0003] However, this method also has a problem. After entering the self-cleaning and high-temperature sterilization control, regardless of whether the refrigerant is sufficient, the multi-split air conditioner will control all indoor units to perform self-cleaning operations synchronously. In this way, the expected cleaning effect cannot be achieved in the case of insufficient refrigerant or lack of refrigerant. Summary of the invention

[0004] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a control method, device and computer-readable storage medium for a multi-split air conditioner, aiming to solve the problem of poor cleaning effect when the multi-split air conditioner performs self-cleaning, so as to improve the cleaning effect when the multi-split air conditioner performs self-cleaning.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for controlling a multi-split air conditioner, wherein the control of the multi-split air conditioner comprises the following steps:

[0006] When receiving a self-cleaning instruction, obtaining refrigerant information of the multi-split air conditioner; and

[0007] According to the self-cleaning mode corresponding to the refrigerant information, a self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner is performed.

[0008] Optionally, the step of performing a self-cleaning operation on each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner according to the self-cleaning mode corresponding to the refrigerant information includes:

[0009] When it is determined according to the refrigerant information that the multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant, starting an asynchronous cleaning mode to asynchronously perform a self-cleaning operation on each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner; and

[0010] When it is determined according to the refrigerant information that the multi-split air conditioner is not short of refrigerant, the synchronous cleaning mode is started to synchronously perform the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner.

[0011] Optionally, the step of starting the asynchronous cleaning mode to asynchronously perform the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner includes:

[0012] Display at least two asynchronous cleaning sub-patterns;

[0013] receiving a mode selection instruction triggered based on the asynchronous cleaning sub-mode; and

[0014] The target sub-mode corresponding to the mode selection instruction is started to asynchronously execute the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner.

[0015] Optionally, the step of starting the target sub-mode corresponding to the mode selection instruction and asynchronously executing the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner includes:

[0016] If the target sub-mode is a single-unit cleaning sub-mode, a self-cleaning operation of the target indoor unit is performed, and when a self-cleaning instruction is received next time, a self-cleaning operation of indoor units other than the target indoor unit is performed; and

[0017] If the target sub-mode is the unit-by-unit cleaning sub-mode, the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit is performed in sequence according to a preset order.

[0018] Optionally, the step of starting the synchronous cleaning mode to synchronously perform the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner includes:

[0019] Performing refrigerant detection on the multi-split air conditioner in the cooling stage to obtain a first detection result;

[0020] Performing refrigerant detection on the multi-split air conditioner in the frost stage to obtain a second detection result; and

[0021] If both the first detection result and the second detection result indicate that the multi-split air conditioner is not short of refrigerant, then during the defrost stage, the synchronous cleaning mode is started to synchronously perform self-cleaning operations on each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner.

[0022] Optionally, the step of performing refrigerant detection on the multi-split air conditioner in the cooling stage to obtain a first detection result includes:

[0023] Obtaining a first superheat degree of the multi-split air conditioner in a cooling stage; and

[0024] A refrigerant detection is performed on the multi-split air conditioner according to the first superheat to obtain the first detection result.

[0025] Optionally, the step of performing refrigerant detection on the multi-split air conditioner in the frost stage to obtain a second detection result includes:

[0026] Obtaining a second superheat degree of the multi-split air conditioner in a frost stage; and

[0027] A refrigerant detection is performed on the multi-split air conditioner according to the second superheat to obtain the second detection result.

[0028] Optionally, after the step of performing refrigerant detection on the multi-split air conditioner in the frost stage to obtain a second detection result, the step further includes:

[0029] If the first detection result or the second detection result is that the multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant, an asynchronous cleaning mode is started to asynchronously perform self-cleaning operations on each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner.

[0030] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention also provides a control device for a multi-split air conditioner, which includes a memory, a processor, and a control program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the control program is executed by the processor, the various steps of the control method for the multi-split air conditioner as described above are implemented.

[0031] In addition, the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a control program. When the control program is executed by a processor, each step of the control method of the multi-split air conditioner as described above is implemented.

[0032] In this embodiment, when a self-cleaning instruction is received, the refrigerant information of the multi-split air conditioner is obtained, and the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner is performed according to the self-cleaning mode corresponding to the refrigerant information, so that the self-cleaning mode of the multi-split air conditioner can be flexibly adjusted according to the refrigerant information, and the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner can be controlled to simultaneously perform the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit in the case of lack of refrigerant, and the expected cleaning effect cannot be achieved. That is, by selecting the corresponding self-cleaning mode through the refrigerant information, the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner can be flexibly performed, and the cleaning effect of the multi-split air conditioner can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a control device for a multi-split air conditioner in a hardware operating environment according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a flow chart of an embodiment of a control method for a multi-split air conditioner according to the present invention;

[0035] Figure 3 A flow chart of another embodiment of a control method for a multi-split air conditioner according to the present invention;

[0036] Figure 4 The present invention is a flowchart of another embodiment of the control method of a multi-split air conditioner.

[0037] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention, and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0039] The main solution of the embodiment of the present invention is: when a self-cleaning instruction is received, the refrigerant information of the multi-split air conditioner is obtained; according to the self-cleaning mode corresponding to the refrigerant information, the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner is performed.

[0040] In the prior art, no matter what the refrigerant situation of the multi-split air conditioner is, the multi-split air conditioner will control all indoor units to perform self-cleaning synchronously. At this time, in the case of lack of refrigerant or insufficient refrigerant, the corresponding indoor units will not be able to meet the expected cleaning requirements due to insufficient refrigerant.

[0041] The above solution provided by the present invention is intended to improve the cleaning effect of the multi-split air conditioner during self-cleaning.

[0042] As an implementation method, a schematic diagram of the structure of a control device for a multi-split air conditioner in a hardware operating environment according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 1 shown.

[0043] The control device of the multi-split air conditioner may include: a communication bus 1002, a processor 1001, such as a CPU, and a memory 1005. Optionally, the control device of the multi-split air conditioner may also include a user interface 1003 and a network interface 1004. Among them, the communication bus 1002 is used to realize the connection and communication between these components. The user interface 1003 may include a display screen (Display), an input unit such as a keyboard (Keyboard), and the optional user interface 1003 may also include a standard wired interface and a wireless interface. The network interface 1004 may optionally include a standard wired interface and a wireless interface (such as a WI-FI interface). The memory 1005 may be a high-speed RAM memory, or a stable memory (non-volatile memory), such as a disk memory. The memory 1005 may also be a storage device independent of the aforementioned processor 1001.

[0044] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 1 The structure of the control device of the multi-split air conditioner shown in the figure does not constitute a limitation on the control device of the multi-split air conditioner, and may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or a combination of certain components, or a different arrangement of components.

[0045] exist Figure 1In the control device of the multi-split air conditioner shown, the network interface 1004 is mainly used to connect to the background server and communicate data with the background server; the user interface 1003 is mainly used to connect to the client (user end) and communicate data with the client; and the processor 1001 can be used to call the control program stored in the memory 1005 and execute the relevant steps in the following embodiments of the control method of the multi-split air conditioner.

[0046] Based on the hardware architecture of the control device of the multi-split air conditioner, various embodiments of the control method of the multi-split air conditioner of the present invention are proposed.

[0047] Reference Figure 2 , an embodiment of a control method for a multi-split air conditioner of the present invention is proposed. In this embodiment, the control method for the multi-split air conditioner includes the following steps:

[0048] Step S10: upon receiving a self-cleaning instruction, obtaining refrigerant information of the multi-split air conditioner;

[0049] The user can trigger the self-cleaning instruction of the multi-split air conditioner by voice or button. The triggered self-cleaning instruction can be triggered in any room associated with the multi-split air conditioner. For example, if the user triggers the self-cleaning instruction in the room where the control device of the multi-split air conditioner is located, the control device of the multi-split air conditioner can receive the self-cleaning instruction triggered by the user and perform self-cleaning control on the multi-split air conditioner according to the self-cleaning instruction; if the user is not in the room where the control device of the multi-split air conditioner is located but in the room where other indoor units are located, the indoor unit in the room where the user is located can first receive the self-cleaning instruction triggered by the user, and then the indoor unit sends the self-cleaning instruction to the control device of the multi-split air conditioner, and then the control device of the multi-split air conditioner performs self-cleaning control on the multi-split air conditioner. Among them, the control device of the multi-split air conditioner can be a control device embedded in the multi-split air conditioner, or it can be a control device set independently of the multi-split air conditioner. For example, for the application scenario of smart home, the control device of the multi-split air conditioner can be a remote control device such as a mobile phone. At this time, the user can trigger the self-cleaning instruction through the remote control device to achieve remote control of the multi-split air conditioner.

[0050] After receiving the self-cleaning instruction, the control device of the multi-split air conditioner usually controls all indoor units to perform the self-cleaning operation synchronously. At this time, if the multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant, the refrigerant will be consumed, but the cleaning requirements cannot be met, and the cleaning effect cannot be guaranteed. Moreover, from the perspective of resource utilization and electricity costs, this will not only cause a waste of refrigerant resources but also increase electricity costs. Therefore, in this embodiment, after obtaining the self-cleaning instruction, the control device of the multi-split air conditioner will not immediately control the multi-split air conditioner to perform self-cleaning, but will first obtain the refrigerant information of the multi-split air conditioner to determine how to control the multi-split air conditioner to perform self-cleaning according to the actual refrigerant situation of the multi-split air conditioner.

[0051] It should be noted that the refrigerant information may include: refrigerant quantity information and refrigerant identification information, etc. The refrigerant identification information may be generated according to the detection result after each refrigerant detection. For example, if the refrigerant detection is performed in the cooling stage, frost stage and defrost stage of the multi-split air conditioner during self-cleaning, when the refrigerant detection result of the corresponding stage is that the multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant, the refrigerant shortage identification information may be generated and stored accordingly, so that when receiving the self-cleaning refrigeration, it can be quickly identified whether the multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant according to the refrigerant shortage identification information; the refrigerant quantity information may include the remaining refrigerant quantity of the multi-split air conditioner, and the refrigerant quantity required for different indoor units when self-cleaning is performed on different indoor units, so that when the multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant, the refrigerant quantity information determines which indoor units to clean and in what way to clean, etc. Cleaning strategies. Correspondingly, the way to obtain the refrigerant information may be: to obtain it through detection by a refrigerant detection device, or to obtain it based on the operating parameters of the multi-split air conditioner, or to obtain it from a preset storage area, etc., which is not specifically limited here.

[0052] Step S20: performing a self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner according to a self-cleaning mode corresponding to the refrigerant information;

[0053] In the case of a multi-split air conditioner lacking refrigerant, if all indoor units are self-cleaned simultaneously, some indoor units may not meet the cleaning requirements, resulting in a waste of resources; in the case of a multi-split air conditioner not lacking refrigerant, if some indoor units are self-cleaned, there may be a lack of refrigerant during the next self-cleaning, which is not conducive to improving the self-cleaning efficiency. Therefore, in order to improve the self-cleaning efficiency and resource utilization, and to ensure that self-cleaning can be performed in a timely and efficient manner, different cleaning strategies need to be adopted for self-cleaning according to different refrigerant information. Therefore, after obtaining the refrigerant information, it is possible to first determine whether the multi-split air conditioner is lacking refrigerant based on the refrigerant quantity information and refrigerant identification information contained in the refrigerant information, and then use different cleaning modes to perform targeted cleaning according to the situation of the multi-split air conditioner lacking refrigerant and the situation of the multi-split air conditioner not lacking refrigerant.

[0054] It should be noted that the lack of refrigerant in a multi-split air conditioner refers to the situation where the amount of refrigerant in the multi-split air conditioner is insufficient to support self-cleaning of all indoor units; the self-cleaning mode corresponding to the refrigerant information, if differentiated according to the control method, can be automatic cleaning mode or manual cleaning mode, etc.; if differentiated according to the synchronization method, it can be single-unit cleaning mode, unit-by-unit cleaning mode, partial synchronous cleaning mode, synchronous cleaning mode, etc. Among them, the single-unit cleaning mode can be to clean only a single indoor unit each time a self-cleaning instruction is received; the one-by-one cleaning mode can be to clean multiple indoor units one by one each time a self-cleaning instruction is received; the partial synchronization mode can be to synchronously complete the self-cleaning of some indoor units after each self-cleaning instruction is received; the synchronous cleaning mode can be to synchronously complete the self-cleaning of all indoor units after each self-cleaning instruction is received; the automatic cleaning mode refers to the control device of the multi-split air conditioner automatically determining the appropriate self-cleaning mode based on the acquired refrigerant information. For example, when the amount of refrigerant is only enough to support self-cleaning of one indoor unit, the single indoor unit can be automatically selected for self-cleaning; the manual cleaning mode refers to the user manually selecting a self-cleaning instruction that meets his or her own needs based on the currently displayed refrigerant information. For example, when it is determined that the multi-split air conditioner is in a refrigerant shortage state based on the displayed refrigerant information, the user can select the indoor unit that is urgently needed for synchronous self-cleaning according to the urgency of the indoor unit cleaning, and other indoor units will not be cleaned temporarily.

[0055] On the one hand, if it is determined that the multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant according to the refrigerant quantity information and refrigerant identification information contained in the refrigerant information, the self-cleaning mode corresponding to the refrigerant information may be a single cleaning mode, a one-by-one cleaning mode, a partial synchronous cleaning mode, etc. At this time, the corresponding self-cleaning mode such as a single cleaning mode, a one-by-one cleaning mode, a partial synchronous cleaning mode, etc. may be enabled according to the degree of refrigerant shortage to perform asynchronous self-cleaning on the corresponding indoor unit. For example, the current refrigerant may correspond to a cleanable target indoor unit according to the refrigerant information, and the target indoor unit may be cleaned first, and the other indoor units may be cleaned when the self-cleaning instruction is received next time; if it is determined that the multi-split air conditioner is not short of refrigerant according to the refrigerant quantity information and refrigerant identification information contained in the refrigerant information, it means that the refrigerant quantity of the multi-split air conditioner is still sufficient after the last self-cleaning, and it is sufficient for the multi-split air conditioner to synchronously perform self-cleaning of each indoor unit. At this time, the self-cleaning mode corresponding to the refrigerant information may be a synchronous cleaning mode. At this time, all indoor units may be self-cleaned synchronously.

[0056] In this way, if the self-cleaning mode corresponding to the refrigerant information is a single-unit cleaning mode, each time a self-cleaning instruction is received, a single indoor unit can be controlled to perform self-cleaning, so that different indoor units can complete self-cleaning under different self-cleaning instructions, so as to realize asynchronous self-cleaning of each indoor unit; if the self-cleaning mode corresponding to the refrigerant information is a unit-by-unit cleaning mode, each time a self-cleaning instruction is received, after each indoor unit completes self-cleaning, each cleanable indoor unit can be controlled to complete self-cleaning one by one, and other uncleanable indoor units can be cleaned the next time a self-cleaning instruction is received. In this way, different indoor units can complete self-cleaning at different time points and under different self-cleaning instructions, so as to realize asynchronous self-cleaning of each indoor unit; if the self-cleaning mode corresponding to the refrigerant information is a partial synchronization mode, each time a self-cleaning instruction is received, each cleanable indoor unit can be controlled to complete self-cleaning synchronously, and the next time a self-cleaning instruction is received, other uncleanable indoor units can be controlled to complete self-cleaning, so that each indoor unit can be controlled in batches to complete self-cleaning, so as to realize asynchronous self-cleaning of the indoor units of the multi-split air conditioner.

[0057] On the other hand, if it is determined that the multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant based on the refrigerant quantity information and refrigerant identification information contained in the refrigerant information, the self-cleaning mode corresponding to the refrigerant information can be a synchronous cleaning mode, and all indoor units can be self-cleaned synchronously through the synchronous cleaning mode.

[0058] Of course, whether the multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant or not, the acquired refrigerant information can be displayed, and the user can select a self-cleaning mode that meets the user's needs from the self-cleaning mode corresponding to the refrigerant information according to the displayed refrigerant information. No specific limitation is made here.

[0059] The present embodiment flexibly selects the currently applicable self-cleaning mode of the multi-split air conditioner through the refrigerant information, so that the multi-split air conditioner controls each indoor unit to perform a self-cleaning operation in the selected self-cleaning mode. In this way, the refrigerant detection and self-cleaning of the multi-split air conditioner are combined, so that the indoor units performing self-cleaning can achieve the expected cleaning effect and achieve effective self-cleaning. At the same time, it can also avoid cleaning only some indoor units when the refrigerant is sufficient, which is not conducive to improving the cleaning efficiency; and simultaneously cleaning all indoor units when the refrigerant is insufficient, resulting in a waste of resources.

[0060] Based on the above embodiment, another embodiment of the control method of the multi-split air conditioner of the present invention is proposed. Figure 3 In this embodiment, step S20 may include the following steps:

[0061] Step S21: when it is determined according to the refrigerant information that the multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant, starting an asynchronous cleaning mode to asynchronously perform a self-cleaning operation on each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner; and

[0062] Step S22: when it is determined according to the refrigerant information that the multi-split air conditioner is not short of refrigerant, starting the synchronous cleaning mode to synchronously perform the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner.

[0063] In this embodiment, the self-cleaning mode corresponding to the refrigerant information can be divided into an asynchronous cleaning mode and a synchronous cleaning mode. The asynchronous cleaning mode may include a single cleaning mode, a one-by-one cleaning mode, a partial synchronous cleaning mode, a synchronous cleaning mode, and the like.

[0064] Therefore, when selecting the corresponding asynchronous cleaning mode or synchronous cleaning mode according to different refrigerant conditions, it is necessary to first determine the current refrigerant condition of the multi-split air conditioner based on the refrigerant information. For example, if it is determined whether the multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant based on the refrigerant quantity information in the refrigerant information, the total amount of refrigerant required for self-cleaning all indoor units of the multi-split air conditioner and the current remaining amount of refrigerant of the multi-split air conditioner can be determined based on the refrigerant quantity information, and then the current remaining amount of refrigerant of the multi-split air conditioner and the total amount of refrigerant required for all indoor units are compared. If the current remaining amount of refrigerant of the multi-split air conditioner is less than the total amount of refrigerant required for cleaning all indoor units, it is considered that the multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant; if the current remaining amount of refrigerant of the multi-split air conditioner is greater than or equal to the total amount of refrigerant required for cleaning all indoor units, it is considered that the multi-split air conditioner is not short of refrigerant. If it is determined whether the multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant based on the refrigerant quantity identification information in the refrigerant information, then when the refrigerant shortage identification information is detected, it is considered that the multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant; if the refrigerant shortage identification information is not detected, it is considered that the multi-split air conditioner is not short of refrigerant. At this time, the multi-split air conditioner can be further tested for refrigerant shortage to ensure the accuracy of the refrigerant shortage detection of the multi-split air conditioner. Of course, the multi-split air conditioner can also be tested for refrigerant shortage in combination with the refrigerant quantity information and the refrigerant identification information to play a double protection role and ensure the accuracy of the refrigerant shortage detection.

[0065] If it is determined in the above manner that the multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant, the asynchronous cleaning function of the multi-split air conditioner can be enabled to perform asynchronous cleaning on the corresponding indoor unit. As for which asynchronous cleaning mode is to be adopted, it can be automatically determined by the control device of the multi-split air conditioner based on the refrigerant information. Specifically, the current remaining amount of refrigerant in the multi-split air conditioner and the amount of refrigerant required for self-cleaning of each indoor unit can be determined based on the refrigerant quantity information, and it can be determined which indoor units the current remaining amount of refrigerant is sufficient to support to complete self-cleaning, and then the corresponding asynchronous cleaning mode is determined according to the determined indoor units that can complete self-cleaning. For example, if it is determined that the current remaining amount of refrigerant can support the indoor unit in the living room to complete self-cleaning, the corresponding asynchronous cleaning mode can be to close the electronic expansion valves of other indoor units and then perform self-cleaning on the indoor unit in the living room; if it is determined that the current remaining amount of refrigerant can support the indoor units in two bedrooms to complete self-cleaning, the corresponding asynchronous cleaning mode can be to close the electronic expansion valves of other indoor units and then perform self-cleaning on the two indoor units at the same time, or to clean the two indoor units one by one. In order to avoid problems such as refrigerant leakage that result in the inability to meet the cleaning requirements when cleaning the two indoor units at the same time with the remaining refrigerant, it is preferred to control the two indoor units one by one for cleaning. In this way, after controlling the first indoor unit to perform self-cleaning, a refrigerant test can be performed again to determine whether to control the next indoor unit for self-cleaning based on the result of the refrigerant test; if there are two or more parallel schemes, for example, the current remaining refrigerant amount can support self-cleaning of the indoor unit in the living room, and can also support self-cleaning of the indoor units in the two bedrooms, then corresponding priorities can be set in advance for different indoor units to screen out the target scheme from multiple parallel schemes based on the set priority, and determine the self-cleaning mode corresponding to the target scheme.

[0066] In one embodiment, in order to enable the multi-split air conditioner to meet the cleaning needs of the user after self-cleaning, the user can select the corresponding asynchronous cleaning sub-mode from the asynchronous cleaning sub-modes corresponding to the asynchronous cleaning mode according to his own needs. Specifically, the control device of the multi-split air conditioner can obtain two or more asynchronous cleaning sub-modes contained in the asynchronous cleaning mode, such as a single cleaning mode, a cleaning mode one by one, a partial synchronous cleaning mode, and at least two of the synchronous cleaning modes, and the obtained asynchronous cleaning sub-modes can be displayed on the display device of the multi-split air conditioner, or on the display device (such as a display screen) of the multi-split control device. In this way, the user can trigger the mode selection instruction by voice or button based on the displayed asynchronous cleaning sub-mode. Furthermore, based on the mode selection instruction triggered by the user corresponding to the selected target sub-mode, asynchronous self-cleaning can be performed on each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner. In a specific application scenario, the user can trigger the mode selection instruction according to the degree of dirt and blockage of different indoor units and the cleaning frequency. For example, in the case of lack of refrigerant, if the indoor unit in the bedroom is seriously dirty and blocked and needs to be cleaned urgently, the mode selection command can be triggered to select the single cleaning mode to control the multi-split air conditioner to perform self-cleaning of the indoor unit in the bedroom, and the electronic expansion valves of other indoor units are in a closed state. After completing the self-cleaning of the indoor unit in the bedroom, the self-cleaning can be exited, and when there is sufficient time later, the multi-split air conditioner can be controlled to perform self-cleaning of other indoor units. Of course, when the user is not in a hurry to use the air conditioner, it can also send a mode selection command to the multi-split air conditioner before going out to select a synchronous cleaning command to control each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner to complete self-cleaning in a synchronous manner.

[0067] In one embodiment, the asynchronous cleaning sub-mode of the multi-split air conditioner may include a single-unit cleaning mode and a unit-by-unit cleaning mode. As to what the single-unit cleaning mode and the unit-by-unit cleaning mode are, relevant explanations have been given in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0068] (1) If the target sub-mode selected by the user is the single-unit cleaning mode, it is necessary to first determine the target indoor unit in the multi-split air conditioner that currently needs to be self-cleaned, so as to complete the self-cleaning of the target indoor unit. Furthermore, after the self-cleaning of the target indoor unit is completed, the refrigerant information of the multi-split air conditioner at this time can be output accordingly, so that the user can confirm whether other indoor units need to be cleaned based on the refrigerant information at this time. At this time, on the one hand, if the user chooses to exit self-cleaning, self-cleaning of other indoor units will no longer be performed. When the next self-cleaning instruction is received, it will be determined whether to perform self-cleaning on other indoor units except the target indoor unit and how to perform self-cleaning on other indoor units except the target indoor unit; on the other hand, if the user chooses to continue to operate in single-unit cleaning mode, the next indoor unit that needs to be cleaned will continue to be determined, and self-cleaning will be performed on the next indoor unit. After the self-cleaning is completed, the refrigerant information of the multi-split air conditioner at this time will be output accordingly, and so on; on the other hand, if the user chooses to continue to operate in the unit-by-unit cleaning mode, the self-cleaning of the indoor units except the target indoor unit can be completed one by one according to the address codes of different indoor units in accordance with the pre-set execution order, and when self-cleaning each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner, the electronic expansion valves of other indoor units need to be closed accordingly to achieve asynchronous self-cleaning of each indoor unit.

[0069] (2) If the target sub-mode selected by the user is a unit-by-unit cleaning instruction, the self-cleaning of the indoor units other than the target indoor unit can be completed one by one according to the address codes of different indoor units in the pre-set execution order. In addition, when self-cleaning each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner, the electronic expansion valves of other indoor units need to be closed accordingly to achieve asynchronous self-cleaning of each indoor unit.

[0070] In this embodiment, the user independently selects the cleaning mode according to the refrigerant information, so that when each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner completes self-cleaning, it can not only improve resource utilization but also meet the user's cleaning needs for the multi-split air conditioner, thereby improving the user experience.

[0071] Based on the above embodiments, another embodiment of the control method of the multi-split air conditioner of the present invention is proposed. Figure 4 In this embodiment, the step of starting the synchronous cleaning mode to synchronously perform the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner may include:

[0072] Step S221: performing refrigerant detection on the multi-split air conditioner in the cooling stage to obtain a first detection result;

[0073] Step S222: performing refrigerant detection on the multi-split air conditioner in the frost stage to obtain a second detection result;

[0074] Step S223: If both the first detection result and the second detection result indicate that the multi-split air conditioner is not short of refrigerant, then during the defrost stage, the synchronous cleaning mode is started to synchronously perform the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner.

[0075] In this embodiment, the self-cleaning of the multi-split air conditioner may include four stages in sequence: cooling stage, frost stage, high-temperature defrosting stage, and high-temperature sterilization stage. In addition to performing refrigerant detection based on refrigerant information when receiving a self-cleaning instruction, a refrigerant detection is also performed in the cooling stage and a refrigerant detection is performed in the frost stage to improve the accuracy of the refrigerant detection.

[0076] Specifically, after the control device of the multi-split air conditioner receives the self-cleaning instruction, if it is detected that the multi-split air conditioner is not short of refrigerant, the multi-split air conditioner can be controlled to enter the first stage of self-cleaning operation: the refrigeration stage, and the multi-split air conditioner is again detected in the refrigeration stage to see whether there is a lack of refrigerant, so as to obtain the first detection result corresponding to the refrigeration stage; further, when the first detection result is that the multi-split air conditioner is not short of refrigerant, if the compressor running time reaches the first running time, or the multi-split air conditioner meets the conditions for exiting the refrigeration stage, the multi-split air conditioner can be controlled to enter the second stage of self-cleaning operation: the frost stage; wherein, the condition for exiting the refrigeration stage can be that the evaporator temperature of any indoor unit is less than or equal to the preset temperature (such as minus 10°C) for a preset time (such as 3 minutes), or the shutdown protection function of the multi-split air conditioner is triggered; the first running time is the total running time of the compressor in the refrigeration stage, such as 10 minutes.

[0077] Furthermore, the multi-split air conditioner can be detected again in the frost stage to see if there is a lack of refrigerant, so as to obtain a second detection result corresponding to the frost stage. Furthermore, when the second detection result shows that the multi-split air conditioner is not lacking in refrigerant, if the compressor operation time reaches the second operation time, or the multi-split air conditioner reaches the condition for exiting the frost stage, the multi-split air conditioner can be controlled to enter the third and fourth stages of the self-cleaning operation: the high-temperature defrosting stage and the high-temperature sterilization stage. At this time, the multi-split air conditioner can synchronously perform the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit, which can improve the cleaning efficiency of the indoor unit; and when the multi-split air conditioner synchronously performs the self-cleaning and operation of each indoor unit, since the lack of refrigerant is obvious, even if there is a lack of refrigerant, it can be detected in time, and corresponding adjustments can be made to avoid waste of resources. Among them, the condition for exiting the frost stage can be: the evaporator temperature of any indoor unit is less than or equal to the preset temperature (such as minus 10°C) for a preset time (such as 3 minutes), or the shutdown protection function of the multi-split air conditioner is triggered; the second operation time is the total time the compressor needs to run in the cooling stage and the frost stage, such as 20 minutes.

[0078] In addition, when it is determined based on the refrigerant information that the multi-split air conditioner is not short of refrigerant, if the first detection result is that the multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant or the second detection result is that the multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant, then no matter what type of multi-split air conditioner it is, the control device of the multi-split air conditioner can automatically determine the corresponding asynchronous cleaning mode according to the amount of refrigerant at this time to perform asynchronous cleaning to avoid waste of resources; the refrigerant information at this time can also be output, and the user can select the corresponding self-cleaning mode based on the refrigerant information at this time and his own needs. At this time, if the mode selection instruction fed back by the user is not received within the preset time, the default mode is used for self-cleaning. Here, the default mode can be a cleaning mode for each unit, or a single cleaning mode, etc., which can be set according to specific application requirements and is not specifically limited here.

[0079] Since the vaporization of liquid refrigerant requires heat absorption, and for the same amount of heat absorbed, the superheat when there is less refrigerant will be significantly greater than the superheat when there is more refrigerant. Therefore, the refrigerant detection of multi-split air conditioners can be carried out based on the superheat, avoiding the use of outlet air temperature or air volume for refrigerant detection, which is easy to cause misjudgment due to large calculation amount and slow feedback speed of refrigerant heat transfer to outlet air temperature.

[0080] In one embodiment, the first detection result can be obtained based on the superheat in the cooling stage. Different types of multi-split air conditioners have different corresponding refrigeration systems; and different types of refrigeration systems need to use different refrigerant detection schemes to perform refrigerant detection to improve the accuracy of refrigerant detection. For example, when performing refrigerant detection based on superheat, the calculation method of the corresponding superheat of the refrigeration system with a pressure detection device and the refrigeration system without a pressure detection device is different, and thus the corresponding refrigerant detection schemes are also different. Among them, the first superheat of the first type of multi-split air conditioner without a pressure detection device in the cooling stage is the first difference between the suction saturation temperature and the average value of the coil temperature, so whether the first type of multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant can be determined based on the first difference; the second type of multi-split air conditioner with a pressure detection device, the first superheat in the cooling stage is the second difference between the suction saturation temperature and the saturation temperature corresponding to the suction pressure, so whether the second type of multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant can be determined based on the second difference.

[0081] In order to further improve the accuracy of refrigerant detection in the cooling stage and avoid misjudgment, the refrigerant detection method of the multi-split air conditioner in the cooling stage can be specifically: when the running time of the compressor reaches the first preset time, determine whether the first type of multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant in the cooling stage according to the first difference or determine whether the second type of multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant in the cooling stage according to the second difference. Therefore, on the one hand, when the running time of the compressor reaches the first preset time, if the first difference between the suction saturation temperature and the mean coil temperature is greater than or equal to the first preset difference, it can be determined that the first type of multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant in the cooling stage; if the first difference between the suction saturation temperature and the mean coil temperature is less than the first preset difference, it can be determined that the first type of multi-split air conditioner is not short of refrigerant in the cooling stage. On the other hand, when the running time of the compressor reaches the first preset time, if the second difference between the suction saturation temperature and the saturation temperature corresponding to the suction pressure is greater than or equal to the second preset difference, it can be determined that the second type of multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant during the cooling stage; if the second difference between the suction saturation temperature and the saturation temperature corresponding to the suction pressure is less than the second preset difference, it can be determined that the second type of multi-split air conditioner is not short of refrigerant during the cooling stage.

[0082] It should be noted that the first preset difference and the second preset difference can be set according to actual application requirements, and the first preset difference and the second preset difference can be the same or different. In this embodiment, the first preset difference and the second preset difference can be set to the same preset value, and the temperature range of the preset value can be preferably 2°C-6°C, and in this embodiment, 3°C is preferably used as the first preset difference. In addition, the total operating time of the compressor in the refrigeration stage is usually 10 minutes. In this embodiment, the first preset time can be preferably 5 minutes.

[0083] In another embodiment, a second detection result can be obtained based on the superheat in the frost stage. Similarly, different types of multi-split air conditioners use different corresponding refrigeration systems; and different types of refrigeration systems need to use different refrigerant detection schemes for refrigerant detection to improve the accuracy of refrigerant detection. Among them, the second superheat of the first type of multi-split air conditioner in the frost stage is the third difference between the suction saturation temperature in the frost stage and the average coil temperature, and the second superheat of the second type of multi-split air conditioner in the frost stage is the fourth difference between the suction saturation temperature in the frost stage and the saturation temperature corresponding to the suction pressure. Therefore, it can be determined whether the first type of multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant in the frost stage based on the third difference, and it can be determined whether the second type of multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant in the frost stage based on the fourth difference.

[0084] Similarly, in order to further improve the accuracy of refrigerant detection in the frost stage and avoid misjudgment, in one embodiment, the refrigerant detection method of the multi-split air conditioner in the frost stage can be specifically: when the running time of the compressor reaches the second preset time, determine whether the first type of multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant in the frost stage based on the third difference or determine whether the second type of multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant in the frost stage based on the fourth difference. Therefore, on the one hand, when the running time of the compressor reaches the second preset time, if the third difference between the suction saturation temperature and the mean coil temperature is greater than or equal to the third preset difference, it can be determined that the first type of multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant in the frost stage; if the third difference between the suction saturation temperature and the mean coil temperature is less than the third preset difference, it can be determined that the first type of multi-split air conditioner is not short of refrigerant in the frost stage. On the other hand, when the running time of the compressor reaches the second preset time, if the fourth difference between the intake saturation temperature and the saturation temperature corresponding to the intake pressure is greater than or equal to the fourth preset difference, it can be determined that the second type of multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant in the frost stage; if the fourth difference between the intake saturation temperature and the saturation temperature corresponding to the intake pressure is less than the fourth preset difference, it can be determined that the second type of multi-split air conditioner is not short of refrigerant in the frost stage.

[0085] It should be noted that the third preset difference and the fourth preset difference can be set according to actual application requirements, and the third preset difference and the fourth preset difference can be the same or different. The third preset difference and the fourth preset difference in this embodiment can be set to the same preset value, and the temperature range of the preset value can be preferably 2°C-6°C, and in this embodiment, 2°C is preferably used as the third preset difference. In addition, the total operating time of the compressor in the frost stage is usually 10 minutes, that is, the total operating time of the compressor from the refrigeration stage to the frost stage is 20 minutes. In this embodiment, the second preset time can be preferably set to 15 minutes.

[0086] In the present embodiment, the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner is synchronously performed only when there is no refrigerant shortage when the multi-split air conditioner receives the self-cleaning instruction, and there is no refrigerant shortage in both the cooling stage and the frost stage. This not only ensures the accuracy of refrigerant shortage detection, but also effectively improves the self-cleaning efficiency by enabling the synchronous cleaning mode.

[0087] In addition, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a control program is stored. When the control program is executed by a processor, the steps of the control method of the multi-split air conditioner as described above are implemented.

[0088] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present invention may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present invention may take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Moreover, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0089] The present invention is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that each process and / or block in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of processes and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowchart and / or block diagram. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0090] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A function specified in one or more boxes.

[0091] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for implementing the process. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps for the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0092] It should be noted that in the claims, any reference signs placed between brackets shall not be construed as limiting the claims. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of components or steps not listed in the claim. The word "a" or "an" preceding a component does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such components. The invention may be implemented by means of hardware comprising several different components and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In a unit claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by the same item of hardware. The use of the words first, second, and third etc. does not indicate any order. These words may be interpreted as names.

[0093] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art may make other changes and modifications to these embodiments once they have learned the basic creative concept. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0094] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A control method for a multi-split air conditioner, characterized in that: The control method of the multi-split air conditioner comprises the following steps: When receiving a self-cleaning instruction, obtaining refrigerant information of the multi-split air conditioner; and Executing a self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner according to a self-cleaning mode corresponding to the refrigerant information; The self-cleaning of the multi-split air conditioner includes the cooling stage, the frost stage, the high-temperature defrosting stage and the high-temperature sterilization stage; The step of performing the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner according to the self-cleaning mode corresponding to the refrigerant information comprises: Performing refrigerant detection on the multi-split air conditioner in the cooling stage to obtain a first detection result; Performing refrigerant detection on the multi-split air conditioner in the frost stage to obtain a second detection result; and If both the first detection result and the second detection result indicate that the multi-split air conditioner is not short of refrigerant, then in the defrosting stage, the synchronous cleaning mode is started to synchronously perform the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner; If the first detection result or the second detection result is that the multi-split air conditioner is short of refrigerant, then starting an asynchronous cleaning mode to asynchronously perform a self-cleaning operation on each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner; Among them, the synchronous cleaning mode is to synchronously complete the self-cleaning of all indoor units every time a self-cleaning command is received; The asynchronous cleaning mode includes single-unit cleaning mode, unit-by-unit cleaning mode and partial synchronous cleaning mode; the single-unit cleaning mode is to clean only a single indoor unit each time a self-cleaning command is received; the unit-by-unit cleaning mode is to clean multiple indoor units one by one each time a self-cleaning command is received; the partial synchronous cleaning mode is to synchronously complete the self-cleaning of some indoor units each time a self-cleaning command is received.

2. The control method of a multi-split air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of starting the asynchronous cleaning mode to asynchronously perform the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner comprises: Display at least two asynchronous cleaning sub-patterns; receiving a mode selection instruction triggered based on the asynchronous cleaning sub-mode; and The target sub-mode corresponding to the mode selection instruction is started to asynchronously execute the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner.

3. The control method of a multi-split air conditioner according to claim 2, characterized in that: The step of starting the target sub-mode corresponding to the mode selection instruction and asynchronously executing the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit of the multi-split air conditioner comprises: If the target sub-mode is a single-unit cleaning sub-mode, a self-cleaning operation of the target indoor unit is performed, and when a self-cleaning instruction is received next time, a self-cleaning operation of indoor units other than the target indoor unit is performed; and If the target sub-mode is the unit-by-unit cleaning sub-mode, the self-cleaning operation of each indoor unit is performed in sequence according to a preset order.

4. The control method of a multi-split air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of performing refrigerant detection on the multi-split air conditioner in the cooling stage to obtain a first detection result includes: Obtaining a first superheat degree of the multi-split air conditioner in a cooling stage; and A refrigerant detection is performed on the multi-split air conditioner according to the first superheat to obtain the first detection result.

5. The control method of a multi-split air conditioner according to claim 4, characterized in that: The step of performing refrigerant detection on the multi-split air conditioner in the frost stage to obtain a second detection result comprises: Obtaining a second superheat degree of the multi-split air conditioner in a frost stage; and A refrigerant detection is performed on the multi-split air conditioner according to the second superheat to obtain the second detection result.

6. A control device for a multi-split air conditioner, characterized in that: The control device of the multi-split air conditioner includes a memory, a processor, and a control program of the multi-split air conditioner stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the control program of the multi-split air conditioner, the control method of the multi-split air conditioner described in any one of claims 1 to 5 is implemented.

7. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: A control program for controlling a multi-split air conditioner is stored thereon, and is characterized in that when the control program for the multi-split air conditioner is executed by a processor, a control method for the multi-split air conditioner as described in any one of claims 1-5 is implemented.

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